The Silver Lining

Segueing luxuriously into both modern and traditional Indian decor aesthetics, silver in its myriad avatars makes for premium art and design pieces around the home. And not to mention, good investments!

By Raul Dias

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that in the context of home decor and design, silver has had a rather tumultuous existence. One that has been fraught with many ups and downs. Thankfully, with more of the former rather than the latter. In most traditional Indian home decor aesthetics, the precious metal has had a starring role for centuries. 

From silver jhulas to silver urlis and vases overflowing with mogras and marigolds, the metal has always been rather omnipresent in homes across the length and width of the land. However, as far as the modern, urban home decor aesthetic is concerned, over the last decade or so, silver has been slowly edged out in favour of the more linear, warm wood-centric, minimalistic, Scandinavian approach to home decor and design that places very little premium on shiny, ostentatious embellishments and curios.

But as far as the soon-approaching New Year goes, we predict that silver will be back with a bang. Shining its brilliant best as design and decor objet d'art and key investment pieces in homes across India!

Shining with versatility

Subscribing to the idea that silverware can fit into any type of home decor, be it modern or traditional is silver expert Prashant Sarawgi who is also the Founder and Managing Director of SR Artefacts, a company that specialises in sliver home decor articles and collectables. “Traditionally, silverware has been used to decorate homes of royalty and was considered to be a status symbol. Detailed nakashi and meenakari work add great value to the very colourful aesthetic of Indian decor. Since time immemorial, Europe and Latin America have been making silver articles for home decor. Candle stands and tureen bowls for example, work wonderfully in a home with western decor aesthetics,” believes Prashant.

Weighing in on this is Vandana Sarawgi, Brand Partner of silverware brand Episode Silver. “For a typical Indian home, one could use more thematic design and pieces like silver idols, carved boxes and bowls to complete the look.  For western home decor, contemporary pieces crafted in modern designs and finishes like mirrors, photo frames, laminates and candle stands could work wonderfully,” advices Vandana.

Giving us another perspective, by decorating one’s home with silver jewellery is silver jewellery and home decor designer Sangeeta Boochra, who hails from a family of Indian silversmiths who have been in the business since the mid-1800s. “There are multiple ways to decorate one's home with jewellery pieces. Vintage necklaces and bracelets can be framed in wood, while silver earrings on a wooden palette and these then placed on a feature wall make for great statement pieces. A silver hand harness or a maangtika can directly be framed on a marble slab or an onyx cut stone and placed as a decorative piece. The possibilities are endless,” says Sangeeta.

Making the bank!

Coming to the investment potential of silver, we see that the sky is truly the limit. A quick market analysis shows us that silver as a precious metal has increased 65% in last five months. No other metal has shown this sort of phenomenal rise. And in the past as well if we see the records, silver has always outperformed all other metals. Echoing this is Prashant who says that silver art piece keep appreciating in time. “Not just equivalent to their intrinsic silver value but also as they are not so easily found and manufactured any more. Therefore, of course silver art pieces work as great investment.”

Comparing silver home decor pieces to similar porcelain, ceramic or glass pieces, Vandana feels that they are definitely a far better investment. “Not only will the value of silver appreciate with time, it is also not as delicate and breakable as other materials used for home decor. Silver being a precious metal not only adds a luxurious and distinctive element, but is something that has an heirloom value,” says Vandana.

According to Sangeeta, silver even outperforms gold. “There are so many characteristics to the metal which no other metal has. Articles can be handcrafted in silver as it is a very soft metal, which is not possible in any other metal other than gold,” says Sangeeta. “For instance, anything made in silver is half the weight as compared to gold, as gold is heavier in weight when compared to silver. So let’s say an article in silver weighs 50 grams, the same piece in gold would come out to be 100 grams. So this gives an advantage to silver over gold as well.”

So, will 2021 be the Renaissance year that heralds the return of silverware art and decor pieces in our homes? Well, we’re surely hedging our bets on that and so should you!

Three tips for decorating with silver from our three experts

• Silver laminates are the latest trend in home decor and are used extensively to clad furniture and even walls.

• An all-time favourite as a grand silver idol at the entrance may be one of Lord Ganesha. 

• A silver chowky, traditionally used only in marriages, is one of the most useful items that one can own. It can be used as a foot stool in front of a lounging chair, as a magazine stand, or even as a planter base.  

(An edited version of this piece was first published in the December 2020 issue of LuxeBook magazine https://www.luxebook.in/)

A serving of 2020

From cakes made of sushi to frog bread and other wacky additions, the food and beverage trends that defined 2020 were as interesting as they could possibly get.

By Raul Dias

With barely a couple of days left for the year to end, I think that it is high time for us to move past the very obvious fact that 2020 was an unmitigated catastrophe of a year. But then, there was that proverbial ‘silver lining’ too. If we were to reach deep down into the depths of our remaining dregs of optimism, we would come to the realisation that there was perhaps no other year in our recollection, when creativity in all aspects of our lives was at its optimal best, as we navigated our way around the new normal. 

Thanks in large part to the social media blitzkrieg that seems to amplify things beyond control, trends abounded in the food and beverage space. A realm that somehow always manages to take a “sow's ear” of a situation and transform it into a “silk purse”. 

So, here’s my list of the most popular food and beverage trends that tried their best to take the edge off those pandemic blues.

Cloudy with a chance of frogs!

Baking bread in its myriad iterations was truly the big ticket trend of 2020. With the first half of the year dominated by an overwhelming amount of sourdough, banana and focaccia art breads holding sway in almost every home baker’s kitchen and social media accounts. However, things got a tad outré in the latter part of 2020 with the emergence of two very interesting bakery items. Resembling a fluffy, egg white meringue, no points for guessing how cloud bread got its name. Keeping the keto crowd happy, this low-carbohydrate 'bread' is a flourless confection made with stiffly beaten egg whites and cream cheese that results in a white bread-like, light-n-airy flat bun that can be coloured and flavoured either sweet (with vanilla or almond extract) or left savoury. Frog bread, on the other hand is exactly as it sounds: a bread roll fashioned in the likeness of the monsoon-loving amphibian.

Better butters?

While other nut butters like almond and cashew have become almost as passé as boring old peanut butter, 2020 saw the invasion of other, more unique preparations like watermelon seed, macadamia, soy nut and hemp seed butters that one cloud slather upon sourdough toast. But perhaps none more significant than the phenomenal rise of cookie butter—Lotus Biscoff to be more precise. Easily the 'new Nutella' this Belgian invention--that’s also known as speculoos spread--found itself in every kind of confectionery item be it cheesecakes or brownies from Mumbai to Madurai.

Sushi cakes

With over 100,000 posts on Instagram and Pinterest combined, there was no way the visually attractive sushi cake wouldn’t make this list. These quirky cakes are basically upturned versions of a rare-to-find-outside-Japan type of sushi called chirashi zushi. Roughly translated as “scattered sushi”, chirashi zushi is served in a bowl wherein a base of vinegared sushi rice is layered with raw seafood or vegetables along with the sweeter, creamier Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise and topped with blobs of wasabi, pickled gari (pink ginger) and dusted with furikake seasoning along with strips of nori seaweed. Besides home chefs, several restaurants in both Mumbai and Delhi have cottoned onto this trend with their own colourful versions (even Jain!) of the sushi cake.

Ghosting galore

Cloud kitchens, ghost kitchens or virtual restaurants—call them what you may, the lockdown showed us that in 2020, these specimens could easily replace their brick and mortar counterparts. A whole slew of delivery- and pick up-only restaurants sprung up across the country, offering diners everything from boxed, gourmet meals to DIY food and cocktail kits sent over to be enjoyed in the comfort of one’s home. What this also resulted in is the much-needed democratisation of 'fancy' food. We saw upmarket, five star hotels willing to send their chefs over to cook up a feast in your home’s kitchen. While snooty, fine dining restaurants didn’t think twice before hosting American tailgate-style, weekend only dining experiences in their parking lots. These entailing diners enjoying a multi-course, socially distant meal laid out in the boot of their own vehicles.

Foods that heal

Riding on the coattails of 2019’s biggest food and beverage trend of fermentation and probiotics--that saw the dominance of the 'triple threat' of kombucha, kefir and kimchi—is 2020’s ‘food as medicine' trend aimed at promoting digestive wellness. Ubiquitous turmeric-imbued drinks like golden lattes (a fancy term for good old haldi doodh!) and herbal teas laced with ashwagandha (Indian ginseng) and mulethi (liquorice root) upped their status as alleged immunity boosters in the war against Covid-19.

Plant milk

To put it in millennialspeak, the ‘takedown’ of milk as we know it, has been going on for a while now in hipster circles with the rise of plant-based substitutes like soy, oat, almond, rice and coconut milks. But speaking of coconut milk, 2020 saw not one, but three Indian companies launch their own brands of coconut milk yogurt that’s a boon to the lactose intolerant and vegans among us. However, the latest salvo comes to us in the form of the nutrient-rich milk derived from the split yellow pea. Yes, pea milk, anyone?

(A differently edited version of this article first appeared in the 27th December issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/food-and-beverage-trends-of-2020/article33411350.ece)

Xmas goes international!

Bringing an eclectic flare to your Christmas fare are a host of home chefs and small businesses dishing out everything from Swedish meatballs to Portuguese festive delicacies and a whole lot more.

By Raul Dias

Rummy’s Kitchen

With over a hundred varieties of vegetarian and meat pickles in her repertoire, Andheri West-based Inderpreet 'Rummy' Nagpal of the eponymous Rummy’s Kitchen decided to shake things up a bit this festive week with her rather 'well-travelled' Christmas special menu. “Having relatives all over the world, I thought it best to come up with a range of international festive dishes that I learnt to make on my visits abroad,” says Nagpal. On her a la carte Christmas menu that’s available from Wednesday to Sunday this week are dishes from America like a lemon herb roast chicken with cranberry meatballs (Rs 850) and braised pork ribs (Rs 850) with a side of the Italian staple of polenta. Accompanying these are her German stollen fruit bread (Rs 200), bacon bread (Rs 550) and a very unique Christmas tree pull apart bread (Rs 550). Desserts take the form of a Christmas cupcake with a rum and cream cheese frosting (Rs 150 for two) and a Christmas jar dessert (Rs 350) layered with spiced plum cake bits, cheesecake and piped chocolate ganache.

Call: 9769211608

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CAS

Egged on by friends who couldn’t get enough of his all-vegetarian lockdown dinners, fashion designer turned home chef Chintan Shah decided to start a small, luxury catering outfit called CAS (Culinary, Artisanal, Sensory) in earnest a couple of months ago. Operating out of his Peddar Road home’s kitchen, Shah bases his weekly vegetarian meal menus on his past travels to 101 countries. “My current Winter Wonderland Christmas menu is an ode to my trips to Switzerland where the food is hearty and warming,” says Shah. Packed for two, the three-course meal (Rs 1,900) available from Thursday to Saturday this week consists of a creamy asparagus soup, a Swiss chard, walnut and feta salad and a French baguette topped with the typically Swiss melted raclette cheese. Shah also sends in his wine and craft cocktail pairing suggestions with the meal. For an additional Rs 600, you can even get two servings of a traditional, boozy zuger kirschtorte cake with a nut meringue.

Call: 9969999699

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Cozinha Amorosa

“A loving kitchen” is what former lawyer and passionate home chef Anisha Andrade's three-month-old food business Cozinha Amorosa means in Portuguese. “I learnt the nuances of Portuguese cuisine from my mother-in-law, who, although Goan, has a strong Portuguese heritage,” says the Santacruz West-based Andrade. While her regular menu is full of traditional Goan dishes, she’s doing a number of Portuguese-style delicacies for this festive week. One can expect to relish dishes like a pork and bean stew called feijoada, an arroz con chorizo (sausage rice), a rare-to-find prawn cake called apa de camaro and a creamy tuna moulded salad which are all priced between Rs 450 to Rs 500 a portion, that Andrade says is enough to feed two. Desserts like the biscuit crumb serradura pudding and the tender coconut soufflé (both Rs 150 a portion) are just some of the sweet treats she has on offer. Andrade requires at least 48 hours advance notice for all orders.

Call: 9821399414

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Global Foodie

Taking the home diner on a whirlwind tour of cuisines from around the world is the Christmas menu by Global Foodie. Started a few years ago by advertising professional Prashant Pradhan, this Powai-based kitchen stays true to its name. “Our entire festive menu is made up of dishes from places as diverse as Brazil and Scandinavia to Korea and Italy,” says Pradhan who makes interesting dishes like Swedish meatballs served with mashed potatoes and blueberry jam (Rs 1,250 for a five-person portion). The menu, that’s available all this week, also has a Spanish seafood paella (Rs 1,600 for 1.5kgs), Italian porchetta pork roll (Rs 1,850 for 1.5kgs), Korean fried chicken wings (Rs 450 for a dozen) and Brazilian chicken croquettes called coxinas (Rs 1,400 for two dozen). To finish the feast off is the rich and decadent French chocolate terrine (Rs 400 for 300gms).

Call: 9967353332

(An edited version of this review appeared in the 23rd December 2020 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India on page 19 https://m.mid-day.com/articles/christmas-meals-from-around-the-world-by-mumbai-based-home-chefs/23156210)

Inside the box

With everything from elaborate, boxed Mughlai 'daawats' to multi-course meals on offer, we acquaint you with a selection of small businesses and home chefs across the city that bring the feast directly to your doorstep!

By Raul Dias

Daawat-e-Ruksariyat

This five-dish, weekend-only daawat (in both veg and non-veg versions) is the brainchild of Jogeshwari-based home chef Ruksar Memon whose daawats or home feasts were such a hit with friends, that she recently started delivering them all across Mumbai. “I had no clue what a home chef is until my friends encouraged me to start my business. I believe that food must be cherished and shared, which is the crux of a daawat,” says Memon, who makes sure to send a small box of dates to kickstart the meal, along with a disposable table/floor cover, as daawats are generally eaten sitting down on the floor. While menu keeps changing every weekend, one can expect to relish appetisers like the signature foil chicken, mains like mutton rogan josh, shahi chicken biryani, paneer makhanwala and desserts like shahi tukra and matka rabdi. Also available on special order is a Memoni Muslim version of khao suey called khausa and a mutton khichda among other a la carte Mughlai dishes.

Cost: Rs. 2,499 onward (daawat for four) and Rs. 1,299 onward (daawat for two)

Call: 9930831336

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Lucknowi Chowk

Dubbed the Nawabi Platter, this six-item meal is a selection of Awadhi cuisine classics by Lucknowi Chowk, a two-month-old Goregaon West-based home chef business. Started by Nirban Goswami who is originally an actor and his fiancee, singer Nandini Deb out of sheer necessity. “Due to the pandemic we were completely out of work and literally broke. So we decided to work on something like cooking that we both are really passionate about,” says Goswami. The platter comprises of a portion of murg biryani and one piece each mutton galouti, kakori and chicken kebabs, along with two portions of breads (sheermal or kulcha). The couple also does fish, chicken, egg and vegetarian Bengali thalas (starting at Rs. 375) made up of dishes like macher kurma, Dhakai murgi, and lao ghonto.

Cost: Rs. 1,599 for a one-person Nawabi Platter

Call: 9821538599

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Spoon of Love

This all-vegetarian, delivery only 'virtual restaurant' operates from Sewri and focuses on Mexican, Lebanese and South East Asian cuisines. It is the idea of hotel management graduate Charmy Mody who calls her two categories of set boxed meals 'lovemeals'. "While ours is a new brand, it is based on an old truth--that when we make things that we love, it just doesn’t feel like work anymore," believes Mody. Both the categories of meals are packed in sealed, biodegradable, pastel pink hued boxes. The Abundant Lovemeal is a four-item box with dishes like a deconstructed falafel for starters and a cottage cheese tsingoi and chilli basil rice for mains. The more elaborate Love Galore box has an additional dish of a khao suey and a dessert of either a salted Nutella shot or a tiramisu cup. Both boxes come with a bottle of water and a disposable cutlery set. Spoon of Love also offers a separate a la carte menu of vegetarian/Jain dishes and desserts.

Cost: Rs. 720 onwards for a one-person Abundant Lovemeal box and Rs. 1,200 for a one-person Love Galore box

Call: 7045699255

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The Cutchi Memon Table

While the name may be at tad 'inspired' the food that is part of Bandra West-based Faiziya Soomar's The Cutchi Memon Table meal box is not. An interesting mix of Bombay Muslim, Kutchi Memoni and a bit of Bengaluru Muslim cuisines go into her boxes that include an appetiser like a couple of Russian cutlets, mains like nalli nihari or Bengaluru style biryani and dessert such as phirni or khubani ka meetha. Learning cooking at a very early age from her cookery class instructor aunt, Soomar is all about experimentation. "I love what I do and continuously try to push the envelope by improvising on my dishes and creating new ones,” says Soomar. And that is why her a la carte menu also has some usual stuff like a white biryani and cashew korma on it.

Cost: Rs. 500 onwards for a one-person meal box

Call: 9820398922

 (An edited version of this review appeared in the 15th December 2020 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India on page 15 https://m.mid-day.com/articles/best-home-chefs-small-businesses-in-mumbai-that-home-deliver-food/23143210) 

Bloody Good, I say!

While it might not be for the faint-heated, animal blood is an important ingredient in dishes across the world and one that has played a crucial role in the culinary ‘coming of age’ of a budding gourmand. 

By Raul Dias

If you were to talk to those who knew me while I was growing up, chances are that their recollections of me would be peppered with adjectives like ‘annoyingly smarmy’, ‘insufferable little know-it-all’, and other not-so-flattering sobriquets. And they would not be off the mark! More often than not, my “over smart attitude”—as my father loved to call it—would get me into a serious spot of bother. But every now and then, it also took me down a serendipitous path of delicious discoveries.

The summer of my 10th year, spent vacationing around South East Asia was one such time. Insisting on ordering a ‘sundae’ for myself at a Korean restaurant in Singapore and paying absolutely no heed to the flustered server’s suggestion that I order something else, I gluttonously waited for my frozen treat to materialise onto the table. In its stead, the now-sniggering server plonked down a plate upon which was placed a blistered, coiled link of a dark brown, almost blackish sausage that he proclaimed with a flourish as “sundae!”. That is how I was introduced to the wonders of the delicious Korean pig’s blood grilled sausage also known as sundae. 

United by Blood

Over the years, wherever I would travel, I would make it my mission to scope out dishes that—pardon the morbidity—satiated my ‘blood cravings’. And I really had extraordinarily little trouble in that quest. From imparting that unmistakable iron-y flavour to an Asian stir fry to some much-needed heft to a thin gravy or simply bestowing that rich, haemoglobic, scarlet depth of colour on to a stew, animal blood holds sway the world over. For you see, the concept of animal blood as an ingredient and dare-I-say a delicacy is firmly etched into the culinary lexicon of most countries’ food cultures for centuries.

On a college graduation gift of a safari to Kenya in the mid-2000s, I partook in the age-old Masaai tribal custom of knocking back a cocktail of bull’s blood and milk. Freshly siphoned off the beast’s jugular vein, the blood is quickly mixed with cow’s milk to avoid curdling and served warm out of a hollowed bull’s horn.

While studying for my post-graduation degree in the UK, I fell in love with the crumbly, oat-y taste of a generous slab of pig’s blood sausage called black pudding under fried eggs for my quotidien breakfast served in the cafeteria of my halls of residence. Weekend trips to next door France introduced me to their iteration of the adored pig’s blood sausage called boudin noir that is best paired with sautéed apples.

On a two-week exchange trip to Guangzhou, I saw my Chinese host family speak reverentially of what they know as congealed pig or duck’s blood tofu called xie dòufu that is the main ingredient of the hallowed, fiery stew aptly called hot pot. My blood quest would get further intensified in places like Laos and in northeast Thailand where a surprisingly fresh-tasting mountain salad called laap sees raw minced pork mixed with spices and copious amounts of pig’s blood.

On a recent, pre-pandemic work trip to Scandinavia, I gourmandised my way through the wonderfully flavoursome pig’s blood pancake called blodplättar in Sweden and veriohukainen in Finland. 

India, too?

But if you were beginning to think of the use of blood as a ‘foreign’ thing, India’s vast culinary repertoire of blood-enriched dishes will bring you back to our very own desi kitchens! As long as I live, I will never forget the mixture of emotions of seeing a freshly slaughtered pig for the first time in Goa. Rushing to collect the blood spewing forth from the animal’s jugular into a hollowed coconut shell, my aunts quickly stirred the red liquid to prevent it from coagulating, they declared. 

The blood would later be used in Portuguese-influenced, festive pork dish of sorpotel. As if the Kashmiri chilli’s crimson hue wasn’t enough, the pig’s blood is added towards the end of the dish’s cook to impart a bright red blush to this thick, unctuous stew that is made up of tiny bits of fatty pork and pig’s liver swimming in a vinegar-spiked gravy served with crusty brun pao. 

Though it uses chicken as the main protein, another blood-based, Portuguese-influenced Goan dish is cabidela de galinha. Made very differently from sorpotel, this dish is a sort of mild stew-meets-risotto thanks to the generous amount of basmati rice in its preparation. 

As my travels and work stints took me a little southeast in the Indian peninsula, I soon discovered that both the Madurai and Kongu Nadu regions of Tamil Nadu share another blood-centric dish—aattu ratha poriyal. This stir fry uses the congealed blood of a goat that is first steamed and cut into small bits. The pieces are added to spices like turmeric, ginger, garlic, chilli powder, mustard and stir fried in oil with onions and fresh coconut scrapings with plenty of curry leaves thrown in. 

North by Northeast!

Interestingly, I learned that quite a few of the blood-enhanced dishes of India’s northeast are festive ones made with great pomp and ceremony, take the sacred dish of amin for instance. This one is made by the Galo tribal people of Arunachal Pradesh from the blood of a sacrificial mithun (bor frontalis) on the fourth (and last) day of the Mopin Festival of Fertility, celebrated in April ever year. 

Similarly, India’s indigenous Nepalese community who mainly live in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Darjeeling, too have a ritualistic spicy goat blood dish called rakti that is had during the Hindu festival of Dashain (Dussehra) and cooked in mustard oil over a slow fire. 

Still in the northeast, the Khasis from the Cherrapunjee area of Meghalaya also known as Sohra, make a pork pulao called ja-doh that uses pig and sometimes chicken’s blood. The dish is typically eaten at breakfast during traditional Khasi festivals like Christmas and Easter. 

Once again serendipity comes to the fore as I discover, while researching this piece, a dessert of all things, made with blood. Apparently, in Italy, sanguinaccio dolce is a pudding made with pig’s blood, chocolate, sugar, pine nuts, raisins and milk. I know where I will be heading to next!

SUNDAY RECIPE

Cabidela de Galinha

INGREDIENTS:

2 chicken legs (cut in quarters)

1 cup basmati rice

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup water

1 cup fresh pig’s blood

½ cup dark Goan vinegar (sur)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 bay leaves

1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves

salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Mix the vinegar with the pig’s blood and set aside.

2. In a large pan heat oil and fry the minced onion and garlic.

3. Add the chicken pieces and let them braise for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cover and let cook 30 minutes over medium heat.

5. When the broth has reduced a little, add water to the pan and then the rice. Cover and let simmer until the rice is just about done.

6. Add the blood and vinegar mixture to the pan, stir, cover again and let cook for an additional 2-5 minutes.

7. Remove from the pan and serve with a little sprinkle of coriander leaves.

(This column first appeared in the 6th December 2020 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/animal-blood-is-an-important-ingredient-in-dishes-across-the-world/article33247845.ece)

Holding 'suey'!

With as many iterations as its myriad components, the Burmese dish of khao suey is a well-travelled one.

By Raul Dias

'A sort of Burmese bhel' is perhaps one of the most succinct--if a tad short of being apt--descriptions for khao suey that I recently came across on a pan-Asian, Mumbai-based restaurant's menu card. None of that flowery 'tender morsels of farm-raised chicken, simmered in an unctuous coconut milk broth...' hyperbolic overdrive, menu jargon seem to veer towards these days at most other places. 

For the uninitiated among us (though I highly doubt there would be many), khao suey is a much-loved, and dare-I-say, callously co-opted curried noodle dish of Burmese origin that had been shamelessly adapted and tweaked the world over and here in India in particular. But more on that later. 

Bowls of Sunshine

With its soothing, yet punchy taste, khao suey can easily be classified as a comfort food dish. One that can be scarfed down at anytime of the day like they do in Myanmar and other South East Asian countries. It sees everything from chicken, beef, pork, seafood and even tofu morsels added to a spicy, (mostly) coconut milk- and turmeric-based curry. This bright orange hued curry is then ladled over thin rice noodles to form a soup-meets-stew kind of hybrid dish. 

But hold on! It needs more jazzing up. The supporting acts to the main show take the form of a variety of condiments that range from crispy fried shallots and garlic to halved, boiled eggs, fresh coriander fronds and roasted, crushed peanuts. Each adding textural and flavourful heft to the dish.

As I travelled around Myanmar a few years ago, I realised, that, much like how the word ‘curry’ is misconstrued in the West that divests it of its genericness, khao suey is a similar victim. In the Burmese language, khao suey simply means rice noodles. How one treats those noodles in a dish, creates local variations of what we know commonly as khao suey, the all-in-one meal.

The name game

The dry noodle version of the dish called shwedaung khao suey, that is popular as a street-side snack in places like Yangon, is akin to a crunchy salad. And this is perhaps how the 'Burmese bhel' inference comes into play. While the coconut milk-laden, Southern Myanmarese ohn no khao suey is more in line with the iteration of khao suey we are familiar with in India. 

Crossing the Myanmarese border from the town of Payathonsu into Sangkhla Buri in Northern Thailand via the Three Pagodas Pass, I noticed how easily khao suey had segued into the local cuisine. Known as khao soi Islam, the pork-bereft version (substituted by beef or chicken) is almost similar to ohn no khao suey and is prepared mostly by the Muslim community who prefer adding the locally grown mustard greens in a pickled form to the dish. 

The other neighbour of Myanmar that has its own version of the dish is Laos. This Northern Laotian version also called khao soi is more of a soup made with wide rice noodles, chopped pork and has that unmistakable funky taste of fermented soy beans. All this is topped off with pork rind, coriander and bean sprouts. Interestingly, many are of the belief that the two versions of the shared Singaporean and Malaysian dish of laksa i.e assam (meaning: sour) and curry laksa owe their genesis to khao suey due to their startling similarities. 

Colonial cousins

Perhaps the greatest surprise in store for me on the khao suey front was the rather serendipitous discovery of the Memoni Muslim dish of khausa and how closely it is related to Burmese khao suey. Tasting this truly desi version of the dish at a Memoni food pop-up by a Mumbai-based home chef a few weeks ago, I couldn’t but help marvel at how well the dish had travelled and had gotten adapted along the way.

Often bearing the moniker of the 'sailor businessmen of India,' the Memons, who originally hail from Gujarat, have always had very strong ties to Myanmar since the time it was known as British-occupied Burma. Mainly involved in the pre-independence textile, oil and paper production trade, they would travel to Burma regularly. With a few even settling there permanently and trading from the British set-up port at Akyub, which is in present-day Sitwe.

Many Memons subsequently moved back to India in 1947, with a second exodus taking place in the early 1960s after the Burmese military junta regime, known to be intolerant of foreigners, came into power. Bringing back with them an edible emissary that they named khausa. Adapted to suit their tastes, khausa employs the more Italian-style wheat spaghetti in lieu of rice noodles. This is topped off with a cubed chicken curry made with yoghurt, coconut milk and gram flour. Garnishes take the form of piquant sliced green chillies, ginger juliennes, and crunchy deep-fried samosa dough strips, with a sprinkling of chaat masala giving it an unmistakably desi tadka. 

Sure wins the vote for the most widely travelled and adapted dish, wouldn’t you say?

(An edited version of this article first appeared online in The Hindu Business Line newspaper's BLink section on 5th December 2020 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/takeaway/khao-suey-is-burmas-global-dish/article33249771.ece)

Sip by Sip...

India's new-fangled love affair with premium whiskies is one that is growing stronger everyday. One luxurious sip at a time!

By Raul Dias

 “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough.”

--Mark Twain

It is almost as though Twain was looking into the future and prophesying the current premium whisky scene in India today. For gone are the days when generous ‘Patiala Pegs' were splashed forth from bottles of inexpensive and rather pedestrian whisky brands that we Indians loved to indulge in.

Today, there is a paradigm shift in the way we consume...nay, enjoy our whiskies. Sipping them almost reverentially, instead of gulping them down. Admiring that sunlit, almost amber hue of the libation. Taking in that heady aroma and then savouring its smoky, peaty depths of flavour. All this, before letting it gently glide down our throats. Yes, that's what sipping a premium whisky does to one. It takes you into its wonders almost instantaneously, ensnaring you for good. 

Evolution is everything 

It is safe to say that the last four to five years have seen the premium whisky consumption scene in India evolve more rapidly than ever before. Higher disposable income, frequent international travels and rapid digitisation leading to higher levels of awareness, are just a few of the reasons for this evolution. 

Interestingly, the consumption of premium whiskies though, has largely been dominated by Scotch whiskies. Both Premium Blended Scotch whisky with brands like Royal Salute 21, Chivas Regal 25, Blue Label Ghost and Rare among others and by Single Malt Scotch whiskies. “When I look at the imports, I think the field has broadened from just Scotch whisky and Jack Daniel’s. Irish whiskey and Jameson was the first to make headway, followed by, I would say Bourbon brands like Jim Beam,” opines Vikram Achanta, Founder and CEO of Tulleeho which is a drinks education, training and consulting firm.

The Japanese invasion

But there is also another disruptor nipping close at the heels, aka. Japanese whisky. “Over the past few years, Japanese whiskies have gained (strength in India) owing to their soaring popularity globally and lack of supply which makes them very elusive,” say Vinayak Singh and Swati Sharma who are the co-founders of The Dram Club, a platform that endeavours to bring whisky enthusiasts and aficionados together and to create a community for people to enjoy and appreciate their whiskies. 

Echoing this sentiment of the elusiveness of Japanese premium whisky brands is Achanta. “Among the Japanese brands, Yamazaki and Hibiki have proved very popular, in spite of their price point, partially also due their scarcity. Yet, there are still some Japanese brands like Toki that are available at an affordable INR 4,000”.

Desi does it too!

When it comes to Indian whisky, experts seem extremely bullish about their success in the premium whisky category. And rightly so. We have recently seen newer brands like both Amrut and Paul John pave the way here, with a wide, ever-evolving selection of some truly premium, world-class whiskies. “The bottled in India scene is also going through a constant churn. Brands like 100 Pipers are broadening their product selection, with the latest being the launch of their HP 8yo Blended Malt. William Grant and Sons have also recently launched a special whisky for the Indian palate (called) Grant’s Distinction,” says Achanta, who also suggests watching out for Rampur with it’s impending launch in the domestic market. 

It is also the local consumer who is the most important catalyst in this shift towards new Indian premium whisky brands. “Today we have home-grown single malts and blends speaking to a younger audience, connecting with them a lot more than their grandfather's brands did. So this is what they aspire to. While the numbers may be just a fraction of the sub-premium category, it is still a growing segment, one that brands find value in investing in,” believes Karina Agarwal, Beverage Consultant and Founder - Director, Gigglewater Beverage Concepts who goes on to site the example of Oaksmith, launched by the Beam Suntory group involved a Japanese distillery creating a 'world blend' especially for India, that's been quite popular recently. 

Trend spotting

There has also been a change in how we consume our premium whisky today. Whisky, which was earlier considered a drink for the elite and the snobs is now breaking into new consumer segments. According to Singh and Sharma, female consumption of whisky is the biggest trend that the industry is witnessing. “More and more women are now independent and earning for themselves and they are not shying away from spending on new experiences and indulgences- premium whisky is definitely one on their list. Brands are also trying to break through the stereotypes and position it as a more accessible spirit of choice.”

Cheers to that, we say!

(An edited version of this piece was first published in the November 2020 issue of LuxeBook magazine https://www.luxebook.in/)

Some Like it Hot!

Move over icy cocktails, for it is time to make way for a plethora of boozy drinks—from hot mulled wines and warm spicy toddies this festive winter season.

By Raul Dias

Quick question: what are the first few things that come to your mind when you hear the word ‘cocktail’? Tall, icy glasses and tumblers filled with colourful, alcohol-laced libations and topped off with imaginative garnishes would be some of the first to describe the drinks that both refresh and give you a slight buzz in equal measure. 

Well, not quite in this case! We are here to shake things up (pun intended!) a wee bit with a few cocktail iterations that trod the off beaten path. A path that is ultra-seasonal and one that takes you on an alcoholic ride no less potent. We are waxing eloquent about the hot or at the very least warm cocktails that make their annual presence felt the moment the mercury takes a little a southward dive. 

Here is looking at everything from hot mulled wines to warm spicy toddies and boozy buttered rums. All perfect drinks to warm the cockles of your heart this festive winter season. And what is even better is that you can make each of them at home yourselves!

Spiced Cinnamon Hot Toddy

At Silver Beach Café, Mumbai

Bourbon and maple with hints of spice makes this hot alcoholic beverage conceptualised by Iven Henry Raghwan, Senior Bar Manager at Silver Beach Cafe, Bandra, Mumbai the perfect choice for a nippy evening. The flavourful sweetness of maple does not overpower the notes of the Bourbon, yet it allows the spices to take over subtly and hit the right notes, just like the perfect melody! 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup maple syrup or cane sugar 

3/4 cup warm water 

Red chilly to taste 

2 whole cinnamon sticks

2 squeezed fresh lemon

2 ounces Bourbon

Hot water (as required)

Star anise (for garnish)

Method:

* Add maple syrup/sweetener, water, cinnamon sticks, chilly to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook and simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove from heat and let it cool for 20 minutes or longer. Strain and store for use. 

* For one glass add half of the lemon juice, 4 tablespoons of the prepared spicy syrup, Bourbon and hot water to top.

* Throw in a stick of cinnamon and allow the drink to pull in the flavour of the spice.

* Garnish with star anise, a lemon slice and serve warm. 

Café Pluck Nutella Hot Coffee

At Café Pluck, Pullman New Delhi Aerocity

There is nothing quite like a cup of coffee, is there? Now, imagine few sips of the aromatic magic with an amazing combination of Nutella, and Baileys Irish Cream and you are suddenly awake and motivated to tackle your day head on. This hot cocktail, perfect for a chilly Sunday mid-day brunch is an explosion of flavours and textures and is the concoction of Café Pluck’s Assistant Manager, Mayank Pander all deceptively served up in a tall sundae glass.

Ingredients:

1 shot espresso coffee  

1 shot milk

1 tbsp Nutella

2 tbsp whipped cream

1 shot Baileys Irish Cream

Coffee, chocolate powder and chocolate cookies (for garnish)

Method:

* Take one shot  hot espresso in a sundae glass and slowly mix Nutella into the coffee.

* Add one shot of Baileys.

* Make a nice froth from hot, full cream milk and top it up over the coffee.

* Take whipped cream and nicely whip it over the coffee.

* Garnish it with crushed coffee, chocolate powder and chocolate cookies.

 

Hot Buttered Rum

At Artisan, Sofitel Mumbai BKC

This hot cocktail is especially popular in the fall and winter and is traditionally associated with the holiday season. “What makes it special is that it suits the Indian plate really well, with the use of spice and rum,” says Rajesh Singh, bar executive at Artisan, Sofitel Mumbai BKC who recently came up with this drink.

Ingredients:

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp butter (soft)

1 dash ground cinnamon

1 dash ground nutmeg

1 dash ground allspice

1 splash vanilla extract

2 ounces Bacardi Gold Rum

5 ounces hot water 

Cinnamon stick (for garnish)

Method:

* In mixing bowl, combine butter, vanilla extract, sugar and spices. Beat until well combined.   

* In heat-proof glass or mug, combine aged rum with 1 ounce (2 tbsp) spiced butter mixture. Remaining mixture can be stored in airtight container in refrigerator for future use.

* Top with hot water and stir until ingredients are well incorporated. Garnish with cinnamon stick.

 

Mulled Wine

At Plum by Bentchair, New Delhi 

Dubbed the '#Plumazing Mulled Wine', this easy-to-prepare riff on a traditional mulled wine by Plum by Bentchair's Corporate Mixologist, Raj Negi is a beautiful meld of red wine, honey, orange zest, and spices to make you feel the pleasure of warmth in this chilly weather.

Ingredients:

150 ml red wine

15 ml honey

A pinch of orange zest

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

2 cloves

Orange slice and cinnamon stick (for garnish)

Method:

* Add all the ingredients in a saucepan simmer gently over low heat for 10 minutes.

*  Serve warm and garnish with orange slice and cinnamon sticks.

(An edited version of this piece was first published in the November 2020 issue of LuxeBook magazine https://www.luxebook.in/)